Flies section is very thorough and you can search by name, region, or type. Or browse. Has description of the flies that for the most part are the materials to tie it but they don't go into any info on tying the fly. This would be an excellent addition, instead they have a "buy" symbol.

Knots; this is very cool and provides animated illustrations on tying a lot of different knots. Casting; some good tips and videos.

They have fishing reports but you need your phone to be online to use them. I might not fish by these reports though. I guess I would just question their validity and conditions can change quickly. Like everything, if it is embraced and updated regularly it could be helpful. I see it working for migratory fish liked Stripers and Steelhead much better than say Trout rivers. Trout stream hotspots are often more guarded than the migratory fishes.

* * * * * *

OK, back to me. Reading the blurb online, one nice feature seems to be a link to fishing license info for every state, plus all of their regulations. Plus, I got through this whole thing w/o saying "i'm hooked on this" or similar... You can read more reviews and purchase the $14.99 app via iTunes.

Lighten the mood... anyway, love this piece. Above, music video for the classical music work 'Hoedown' from the Rodeo Suite by Aaron Copland. Stop motion animation in which various characters, inspired by cowboy films come to life. Made by Eleanor Stewart for her degree at the Glasgow School of Art.

Amazingly the injuries and fatalities have been very low, but thoughts go out to those that are affected in this way. The historical loss of buildings and bridges, and the current state of isolation and infrastructure damage is massive though.

The Vermont Foodbank has a very active twitterfeed with statewide updates, and news on available supplies. They are asking for assistance raising emergency funds; if you text FOODNOW to 52000 that will donate $10 to the Vermont Foodbank, who will turn your donation into $60 worth of groceries for families in need.

There is a googlemap being updated with secondary road closures as well. See that here.

Has been surreal to watch places you know so well, and that have stood for perhaps a hundred years or more, get swept away. I didn't take them for granted before (see this whole damn blog...) but now I will cling onto those memories for dear life. Honestly was wary of posting anything about this as on one hand it is not Japan-level decimation, and on the other it is not just VT being affected of course. They just seem to have hit the jackpot of flash flooding and cut-off-edness...

At this point everyone I know is fine, even if they needed a ride in a bulldozer bucket w/ their 2 kids to escape the water... hats off to all the local crews and to all the work there is now to do.

Sunday, August 28

This box arrived from Nashville, TN. From Max and Joe. Could go on and on but basically spent the afternoon geeking out on these deadstock caps; steaming, blocking (on an old milk jug), shaping them... don't steam too much or it causes the cotton to shrink -not just 'relax'.

Crown buttons have a faux braided-leather-button effect going. #extramile. You'll be able to buy these hats from the guys at Buckshot Sonny's if you go to NothernGrade on September 10th. They also have a slew of similar deadstock denim / red thread versions. Nice.

Friday, August 26

I don't care for Jack Daniel's myself, and have never seen this honey flavored version; but the blacked out hive and beekeper are striking images. Making beekeeping badass? Well played Isaiah Seret (Arnold Boston).

Sidenote; Pops keeps bees and I realise a painted hive and dark clothing are not optimal. Incase you care to know, the smokes calms or at least limits the alarm bells of the bees and also prompts them to gorge themselves -reducing their ability to sting.

Burton has again teamed up with Carhartt and added a ton of tech to this traditional coat shape. Link. They did a set of pants this time too, both in brown or black "oxford" meaning treated twill I believe. Channeling the chainsaw brigade. #highbacks_and_gunracks Priced at $329 and $229. These are part of a larger Twin Peaks Collection ("A look built around rugged workwear, utility styling and a nod to Vermont roots.") that seems to have replaced the Heritage collection of last year. Good stuff. Just need woodchopper gloves in there and I can really geek out. #lifty Found via Complex.

Wednesday, August 24

In my head I sort of lump sausage patties in with scrapple [that's how you do it dear... -ed.]. But really, cleanly made scrapple from ethically raised/slaughtered pigs should be on any thinking person's radar -if they are a meat eater. It could be part of those OG nose-to-tail foods like blood pudding, but seems to get a lower status -no doubt from years of mechanically recovered meat headlines etc... Sure, we called it rat's meat at our school breakfast, but what did we know. It is ground pork offal, using plenty of liver, then let to set in its congealed fat. Commonly available in the lower Eastern states (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware) and seen in New England too.

10e contact Joe Gannon comes in hot with a recommendation for Hughes Delaware Maid Scrapple, from Felton, DE. Want a fried sandwich with apple jelly right now... This may be in the "don't want to know how it's made" category, but Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe did an episode here once and had a great time. No, it is not a dirty job per se -infact the place is spotless, just heavy lifting.

...almost everything is done by workers, not machines. Their pots are stirred by hand and not a mixer. The scrapple mixture, made of pork from Harleysville, Pa.-based Leidy’s meat processing company, is put into pans manually. And each brick of scrapple is [hand] wrapped...
-via DelawareOnline

First single from the same named album, Bad As Me from Tom Waits. Almost a touch of Screamin' Jay Hawkins here. Today there is some kind of streaming/listening opportunity for the album over at TomWaits.com but the site is getting completely hammered right now (ThaNks WeST COAST!) -try later. The listening party was this clip that has been floating around all monring. Bonkers as usual.

Update: watch the below and never think of Tom Waits the same way again. Or Cookie... So good.

Monday, August 22

There is no doubt that the larger, spherical lenses and bigger frames are, if not here to stay, at least big this year. I bounced this off Dan Stanilonis at the newly formed ActionSportOptics and these were his thoughts;

"The goggle industry is for sure moving in that bigger frame direction, you'll see more of it moving forward is my guess. It really opens up the field of vision. I think the problem is going to be with helmet compatibility right now. Although as things progress, the goggles and helmets will be designed together to solve any problems; some already are, but more so going forward.

I am really loving the new bigger goggle frames. I think Dragon nailed it with the APX. I also like the Anon Comrade [cool rust/metal paint job too -ed.] And Spy is using Carl Zeiss lenses (on the Platton model), which are great quality."

This store in Amsterdam is like the Batcave for a heritage Bruce Wayne. The display counters are filled with coal. I don't care why... Red Wing Europe has their own blog Redwing1905 that is the definition of "on-brand", great stuff. We had one of the best meals of our life at an Indonesian place in the 'Dam. "The chef has no restrain with the spices." That was 15 years ago... #memories.

Friday, August 19

Saveur magazine has created a series of atmospheric portraits of BBQ joints. Three so far. MMMMMmmmmmmm. For actual recipes and tips check their site. Sidenote; anyone every been to Curtis' BBQ in Putney VT? Supposed to be fantastic...

Little segue here; famed Americana photographer Jim Dow wrote an article for the FT a few days ago on BBQ;

Some etymologists claim that the word barbecue may derive from the French “barbe à queue”, “beard to tail”, meaning roasting a whole animal on a spit. Others plump for barbacoa, a Caribbean word for meat swathed in leaves and cooked underground. Then there is the Mayan term baalbak kab (meat, cover, earth) … but for most it is just three large capital letters.
=-via The Finanacial Times

Like the rough, nubby texture of silk shantung. Two new releases from Beau Ties are these plaids; Mountbatten and Basna. 40 clams. Like all their ties, handmade in Middlebury, VT.

A few days ago LAS (Sartorially Inclined) and Christopher Callis from Men of Habit discussed yay/nay of bow ties for Esquire. One additional comment I'd make is that while wearing a BT the thing is you don't actually see it in your peripheral vision (like a straight tie) so after a while you forget it is there and if you were (sub)conscious about wearing one, that feeling vanishes.

If just joining 10e, read the origin of the Fridays are tie days posts here.

Burton Snowboard's 2011/2012 site went live the other day, and is simpler visually than in years past (come back duct tape graphics!) -but check out the new search feature. Using some kind of instant search coupled with a predictive text feature, it also boasts a massive search bar once you initiate search. Well played. My gripe with a lot of library websites is that it is often hard to find the search/catalogue option, this would be an great overlay.

Monday, August 15

Taking the nicknames of Max’s father and Joe’s grandfather, Joe Gannon and Max Wastler built Buckshot Sonny's in tribute to the sporting goods stores of old.

It’s the kind of place their grandfathers might have taken their fathers. Hoping to dust off some of the classics, Joe and Max hope to shine a light on the quality goods lining shelves of the sporting goods stores dotting the Main Streets of yesteryear.

They've stocked up on new and old, vintage and deadstock quality products and some semi-perishable items (No worms. Not yet, anyways) they've uncovered in their travels around the United States.

These two guys are working hard to create a world where buckwheat pancakes are a stand-alone food group, same with coffee and beer... Chore coats and cham'y shirts are elevated to pedistal status along with toboggans and baseball. At the upcoming NorthGRADE (Sept. 10, MN -a pop up men's market where everything is American-made) you will be able to discover and celebrate their finds.

I have a sneak peek of one of the items Buckshot Sonny's have rescued; deadstock Pointer Brand 5-panel hats, made using blanket lining material. They have secured the last dozens from a stockroom in Bristol, Tennessee. I love this Alaskan blanket/Troy Mills-referencing material in general, and pretty much geeking out on these caps. Good luck gents.

Saturday, August 13

Going on looks only here... Have a peak at some picks/pics for winter 2011/2012 gear from Burton. What happened to the Red Wing(unofficial, leather sourced only, not co-branded) model boots?? A little bird tells me Red Wing was infact the source for the leather of some of the very first Burton boots... #historylesson #goodtimes #blogfather Update, those RedWing boots just came out.